It's all fun and games - until someone suggests women get a different ball. That's exactly what Sensational Football has done. The soccer tournament in Copenhagen, which hosts 1,200 female players each year, made history with its introduction of the first-ever soccer ball for women, reports Style.com.
The pearly pink, flower-adorned orb, called The Good Luck Ball, has been "developed to match the needs of female football players," reports Style.com. The ball, designed by Danish fashion brand Ganni, "reduces the risk of injuries when kicked, and the weight is lighter, making the game easier and more fun."
The typical kneejerk reaction obviously is not a kind one: Why must everything for women be smaller, lighter, less dangerous? Why must everything that's made for females be pink? (Let us never forget the pink pen.) Why can't women and men play the same game? And why aren't there female referees? (Okay, that last question was just me.)
Visions of the boardroom meetings are plentiful, filled with out-of-touch men pandering to the ladies, creating a ball that won't hurt the women's little feet. "Sure, they can play a man's game - but let's make it easier... and add a flower."
But a little research reveals sound logic: Many women's sports have developed different rules adapted to the needs, thanks to hormones and genetics, of female players.
With more body fat, more estrogen and less muscle, there is historically a 10 per cent difference in male and female performance in Olympic sports. And in fact, women's basketball has modified its ball to cater to its players, so what's so wrong with a modified soccer ball?
Still, that doesn't excuse the flower, the silly name and the stereotypical colour.
Amberly McAteer